Welcome
In two centuries of American ornithology, The Birds of North America
(BNA) is only the fourth comprehensive reference covering the life
histories of North America’s breeding birds. Following in the footsteps
of Wilson, Audubon, and Bent, BNA provides a quantum leap in
information beyond what those historic figures were able to assemble.
The print version of BNA was completed in 2002 – 18 volumes, 18,000
pages -- a joint 10 year project of the American Ornithologists' Union, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology,
and the Academy of Natural Sciences.
Now as an online project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, BNA is
becoming a living resource. Account contents are updated frequently,
with contributions from researchers, citizen scientists, and designated
reviewers and editors. In addition, BNA Online contains image and video
galleries showing plumages, behaviors, habitat, nests and eggs, and
more. And most online BNA accounts now feature recordings of the songs
and calls of their species, recordings selected from the extensive
collection of Cornell's Macaulay Library
of Natural Sounds. Future work will enhance BNA’s audio and video
contributions, speed revisions via efforts coordinated online, and
provide a significant boost to the number of photos available to
subscribers. Stay tuned!
What's New in BNA
Update (October 2009) New Fully Revised Species Account-- Seaside Sparrow. Revised by William Post.Are you an AOU member trying to login to BNA? Please read this first.
Update (October 2009) New Fully Revised Species Account-- Razorbill. Revised by Jennifer Lavers, Mark Hipfner and Gilles Chapdelaine.
Update (October 2009) New Fully Revised Species Account--Laysan Albatross. Revised by Jill Awkerman and David Anderson. Over 50 new photographs added to the gallery, including comprehensive life history and behavioral images.
Update (September 2009) New Photos Added-- Amazing life history and behavior images of many raptor species, as seen by photographer Nick Dunlop. Updated species galleries include: Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Prairie Falcon, Ferruginous Hawk, Merlin, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Harrier, White-tailed Kite, Great Horned Owl.
Update (September 2009) New Audio Added from Macaulay Library-- Updated species galleries include: Least Sandpiper, Black-crested Titmouse, Belted Kingfisher, Franklin's Gull, Least Flycatcher, Mexican Jay, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Savannah Sparrow, Tundra Swan, Western Bluebird, and Common Yellowthroat.
Update (September 2009) New Video Added from Macaulay Library-- Updated species accounts include: Ivory Gull, Mexican Jay, Black-crested Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Belted Kingfisher, Tundra Swan, Western Bluebird, Franklin's Gull, Least Sandpiper and Savannah Sparrow.
